A Better Life
by FionaPendragon
Summary: When famous racer Lightning McQueen is given custody of his ten-year-old sister Lyra, his whole world changes. With a new racing season that has just begun and a looming trial date, the McQueen siblings are in for a crazy year! With Sally's help, will Lightning be able to take care of his sister? Humanized. Rated T for subject matter. AU where Cars 2 & 3 never happened. ON HIATUS!
1. The Letter

**A Better Life**

 **Written by: SerenaTheMoonPony**

 **A/N: Hey guys! So, I'm not even sure where the inspiration for this fic comes from. All I can say is the idea was stuck in my head and I needed to write it out! I'm sorry that this chapter is so dialogue-heavy, but I find it needed to go down like that to establish the story the way I wanted to. This is my first ever Cars fanfic, so please go easy on me. I hope you guys enjoy and don't be a stranger; feel free to leave a review! (Any comments that I deem are rude or aren't constructive criticism I will delete; don't need that kind of negativity in my life!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Cars or its characters, they belong to Disney Pixar blah blah blah. You know the drill.**

 **-SerenaTheMoonPony**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Letter**

"I'm looking for a Mr. Lightning McQueen?" a young man dressed in a mail carrier's uniform asked the crowded restaurant.  
"right here," a red-haired man clad in a cherry red leather jacket with a yellow '95' painted on it replied, taking the small envelope from the mail carrier.

Everyone in the small town of Radiator Springs was at Flo's celebrating Lightning's last racing victory; a great way to start the season! Their celebration was interrupted when the young mailman arrived at the cafe looking for the racer.

Lightning McQueen was a 25-year-old racing sensation. He's won six championships in the Piston Cup Circuit since his rookie year seven years ago. He was barely eighteen when he begun his racing career, and rocked the nation.

"what is it, Stickers?" asked his girlfriend Sally, a petite woman with long blonde hair featuring a pale blue hue to it asked.

Lightning looked over the envelope. The return address was in Florida, something in which worried Lightning very much considering his family lived there. Opening the letter, the racer quickly read its contents. As he finished, his eyes widened.

"oh my god," he gasped.  
"what?" Sally asked.  
"I'm…getting custody of my sister" he breathed, relieved.  
"wait, what? You have a sister?" she asked, surprised.  
"yeah, I have a younger sister. Her name's Lyra. She's ten years old now; she was three the last time I've seen her in person." he explained.  
"Sally, is there someplace private we could talk? I really don't want to have to explain all of this to everyone." Lightning asked.  
"of course, Lightning." she smiled.

With that, the couple excused themselves and returned home. They lived in a two-bedroom apartment just above the Cozy Cone's office. Once home, the couple made their way to the living room and sat on the couch. Lightning sighed as he prepared to explain everything to Sally.

"I'm getting custody of my sister because our parents have been arrested and charged with drug possession and multiple counts of child neglect and child abuse. Seeing as I'm her brother, they're sending her out here to stay with me for the time being, at least until the trial." he explained.  
"trial?" she asked, urging him to continue.  
"yeah, they're unsure on the date yet, but Lyra and I are going to have to go to Florida to testify against our parents." he continued.  
"were your parents really that bad?" Sally asked.  
"oh yeah, they're awful. They've been abusing my sister since she was born. It wasn't as bad when I was still at home, but even then it was horrible the things they'd do." Lightning sighed.  
"if it's too hard to talk about, I won't make you, stickers." Sally exclaimed, noticing her boyfriend's discomfort.  
"it's fine, Sally. Besides, it's about time I get this off my chest." he sighed.  
"wait, if this has been going on for as long as you say it has, didn't you ever call the police?" the young woman asked.  
"many times, but every single time I did, there wasn't enough evidence to convict them. Plus, it was my word against theirs, who are the cops going to believe? A six-year-old or two adults who claim their kid is just looking for attention?" he replied.  
"Stickers, that's terrible! I'm so sorry" Sally said, hugging him in support.  
"it's not your fault, Sal, besides, I would gladly go through all of the abuse and neglect all over again if it meant she would never have to live through that." Lightning sighed.  
"when is she getting here?" she asked."in a week or so, they're just waiting to make sure she's stable enough to travel." he replied, pain in his voice.  
"what happened?" Sally urged. Lightning exhaled sharply.  
"when my parents were arrested, they found Lyra locked in her bedroom. She hadn't eaten in days and was just in a horrible state; she was too weak to even stand on her own. So they admitted her to hospital. When they examined her, they…" he stammered.  
"it's okay, dear, take your time" Sally comforted with a smile.  
"they found several cuts and bruises on her. They also found that she had suffered internal injuries to her lungs. She was suffering from severe malnutrition, at least now she's eating. She was having trouble breathing too…" he choked, his throat getting tighter and tighter as he spoke.  
"if I ever get the chance, I will kill them both. What they've done to me is one thing, but what they've been doing to her is downright disgusting. What kind of scumbags have children, and then don't even take care of them?" he asked, shaking with rage.

In an instant, Sally pulled him into a tight embrace. Within seconds, all of Lightning's worry and rage just disappeared. For the first time since they've met, Sally saw tears form in his eyes. The man she loved, who had always seemed so strong and unbreakable, was actually crying.

"it's okay, Lightning, you have every right to be angry right now. Why didn't you ever say anything to me about this before now? I could have helped you through it," Sally comforted.  
"I know, but it's just so hard to talk about, Sally. This whole mess has been haunting me for years. And it just kills me knowing that my sister has been going through this alone for the majority of her life. You know, I'm technically the one who's been taking care of her all these years; most of my earnings from my races goes into an account for her to make sure she has what she needs." he replied.  
"really?" Sally asked, completely surprised.  
"yeah, because I know those scumbags that I call my parents won't do it; I used to work a couple part time jobs as a kid just to make sure my sister was fed and clothed! Because all mom and dad ever spent money on was whatever drugs they could get their hands on. An old friend of mine down home keeps an eye of Lyra for me; I actually got her a cell phone so I could keep in contact with her without mom and dad knowing, he gave it to her for me and he helps her get money out of the account for food, or clothes, or whatever she might need." he explained. Sally planted a soft kiss on his cheek.  
"well, I think Lyra is very lucky to have an older brother like you. I think it's sweet all that you do for her. How often do you two talk?" Sally smiled.  
"she'll call me typically a few times a month. I tend to leave her a voicemail right before a race more often than not." He replied.  
"that explains why you're always on your phone before getting in the car at the track," she chuckled.  
"yup, I'm just relieved that's she finally getting out of there and actually has a chance at a more stable home life." Lightning smiled.  
"I'll make sure the guest bedroom is cleaned out before she arrives." Sally said, as she got up off the couch.  
"you don't have to do that, Sal, I can take care of it." Lightning offered.  
"I don't mind, Lightning. I'm more than happy to do it." She reassured.  
"alright," he replied, realizing that arguing with Sally was futile; he would not win.

As Sally got up to go into the kitchen to get dinner started, Lightning took off his jacket and hung it up in the closet near the door. Sally caught a glimpse of his left arm and noticed what looked like smeared concealer on it.

"hey Stickers, is that makeup on your arm?" she asked nonchalantly.  
"what? Oh, that! It's nothing…" he replied.  
"Lightning," Sally urged.

Giving in, Lightning grabbed a wet facecloth from the bathroom and removed the makeup from his arm to reveal multiple roses with a name written in cursive in the center; 'Lyra'. Below it, was what appeared to be a date; '07/09/2006' which was July 9th 2006.

"how long have you had that?" Sally asked him, still staring at the tattoo.  
"since I was 19." he replied.  
"how is it even possible that I've never seen it before? It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before…" she wondered.  
"I've always sort of covered it up because of the press; didn't want them asking questions about it. And I guess it just became a habit to hide it," he replied.  
"It's a beautiful piece; I think you should be proud of it. Besides, now that Lyra is going to be staying with us, I don't think you need to hide it anymore." she smiled.

After dinner, the young couple cuddled on the couch, watching a movie. Sally was first to fall asleep, leaving Lightning with his thoughts. He knew the others would want an explanation about Lyra, and he wasn't sure how to go about it. After fifteen minutes of consideration, he knew what he would have to do, but it could wait until morning. For now, he was going to enjoy the rest of his evening with the woman he loved soundly sleeping on his chest.

 **A/N: well, there it is! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If there's any of you who are reading this who are waiting on an update for my Lion King fanfics it is coming along, I've just been stuck lately as far as those go, but I am working on it as much as I can.**

 **Anyways, I'm not sure when I'll get around to posting chapter 2, but I'm going to do my best to get it done as soon as possible.**

 **Until next time guys!**

 **\- SerenaTheMoonPony**


	2. Lyra's Arrival

**A Better Life**

 **Written by: SerenaBlackmore98**

 **A/N: hey guys! Here's chapter two of 'A Better Life' I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: you know the drill. I don't own Cars or its characters blah blah blah. They belong to Disney Pixar blah blah blah**

 **SerenaBlackmore98**

 **Chapter 2: Lyra's Arrival**

The following morning, everyone was hoping for an explanation from Lightning about the events of the day before. He vaguely briefed his friends on the situation, leaving out all the graphic details. Once he satisfied everyone's curiosity, Lightning went to Willie's Butte to do a few laps; it was his way of blowing off steam. After about forty laps, McQueen called it a day. He returned home to find that Sally was in the bedroom.

"hey Sally, I'm home. Sorry I'm a little late, I lost track of time while I was doing laps…oh, sorry, didn't realize you were on the phone." he apologized as he noticed the phone in his girlfriend's hand.

"don't worry about it, Stickers. I just got home five minutes ago anyway, then my parents called." Sally smiled.

"is that's Lightning McQueen? You're really dating him?" A young woman on the phone screeched loud enough so both Sally and Lightning could hear her.

"and that would be my seventeen-year-old cousin Kelly; she's a little bit obsessed with you." Sally explained.

"yes Kelly, that was Lightning, and yes we really are dating." Sally confirmed.

Sally and Lightning's relationship was announced to the world during an interview after the first race of the season. While the racing world had gone crazy over this news, it barely affected the couple's private life.

The week had gone by incredibly fast for Lightning and Sally, and before they knew it, it was time to go pick up Lyra at the airport in Phoenix. Lightning wore a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and a black leather jacket in hopes of not being recognized. Sally decided to wear a light blue sundress matched with a navy-blue cardigan. As they entered the airport, they seemed to have been unrecognized, until they made it about half way to Lyra's gate.

Lightning was stopped by a few young kids asking for pictures and autographs, which he was more than happy to do. Sally smiled as she watched him interact with the children; he was great with them. No matter how busy or rushed he was, Lightning always found time for his young fans.

The paparazzi took notice of the couple, and bombarded them with questions.

"McQueen, are you going on a trip?"  
"are you waiting for someone?"

"do you have family coming to visit?"  
"are you having an affair on miss Carrera?"

The couple managed to slip away from the paparazzi, and waited for Lyra at her gate.

Finally, the flight from Florida had arrived and the passengers were entering the airport. A young girl with long red hair and bright blue eyes came out, and looked around for her brother.

Lyra wore a red T-shirt with a pair of jeans. A pair of black converse sneakers on her feet and a denim jacket on her shoulders. Her red hair why tied up in a ponytail. The young girl scanned the area for her older brother. Noticing him, she made her way to him, rolling her small suitcase behind her.

"Lightning," she called out, getting the racer's attention.

"Lyra!" he exclaimed, approaching her.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you too, kiddo" he replied, holding back his own tears.

"it's okay, baby girl. You're safe now; no one is going to hurt you here." He soothed as his sister cried.

Lightning held his sister close like that for a few moments, ignoring the group of people who were now watching the scene unfold. Sally looked onto the scene with a faint smile; the McQueen siblings really do care for one another. Lightning seemed to have relaxed a bit now that his sister was with him, which relieved the young woman.

"Lyra, this is Sally. Sal, this is Lyra." McQueen introduced.

"it's a pleasure to finally meet you Lyra, Lightning has told me all about you." Sally smiled.

"nice to meet you too, Sally." Lyra squeaked.

"do you have everything?" Lightning asked his sister who nodded in reply.

"then let's head home," he continued.

"Uh, Stickers, aren't you forgetting something?" Sally asked.

"what?" he asked in reply.

"the keys," Sally demanded, holding out her hand.

"but Sal…" he whined.

"don't you 'but Sally' me Lightning Owen McQueen! I love you, but sometimes you forget that the highway isn't a racetrack. Plus, we came up here with my car; I don't want you breaking it by trying to make it go faster than its maximum capacity." She exclaimed.

"she used my full name, so she must be serious…Fine, Sal, take the keys." he replied, earning a chuckled from the two girls in his life.

"thank-you, now let's go home." Sally smiled as they headed towards the exit.

In an instant, the three were crowded by paparazzi bombarding them with questions.

"Mr. McQueen, who's the kid?" one asked.

"is she your daughter?" questioned another.

"are you married to another woman?"

After that third question, Lightning led Sally and Lyra through the crowd all the way to the exit, then headed for Sally's light blue Porsche. The ride home was relatively quiet, aside from the radio playing whatever songs made the 'Top 40's' of the week.

Lyra was thrilled to see her brother again; she was barely even four-years-old the last time she saw him. She wished he could have brought her with him when he left home all those years ago, but understood now that their parents would get him in trouble with the law if he did. Lightning told his sister numerous times that he wished he could have taken her away from that place; how hard he was trying to find a way to have her with him.

When they finally arrived home, the three decided they would go down to Flo's for diner. Sally then excused herself into the bedroom to clean herself up, giving the McQueen siblings a moment alone. A thick silence filled the air in Lightning and Sally's two-bedroom apartment, the young racer was the first to speak.

"are you okay?" he asked, even though he was certain he already knew the answer.

With that, Lyra broke down completely. Lighting held her close as she wept. He hated his parents for putting his sister through all of this; it was no way for a child to live. It was as cruel and inhumane as it gets.

"I don't want to go back with mom and dad, Lightning; I want to stay with you!" the child cried.  
"I won't let them take you away from me, Lyra; I will not lose you again, I promise." Lightning reassured.  
"but what if they don't go to jail? What if they try to come get me and take me back? What if…" Lyra  
questioned until she was cut off by her big brother.

"Lyra, I promise you that you're safe here. Mom and dad won't get away with what they've done, and they will not come after you; they'll have to go through me first, and you know I won't let that happen." he smiled softly.

"you two ready to go?" Sally asked, exiting the bedroom.  
"I think so, you all set kiddo?" Lightning asked his sister who nodded in reply.

With that, the three made their way down to Flo's where most of Sally and Lightning's friends were already waiting for them. Once introductions were made, Lyra's mindset seemed to have improved; Lightning's friends were great! Flo seemed to be a mother-figure to her brother, which made the young girl happy. She really liked Lightning's best friend Mater; he was really funny!

"an' after ol' Doc challenged him to a race, yer brother dun fell off the side of Willy's Butte and right inta them there cactuses!" Mater laughed.  
"he was so mad that it scratched up his car's paint job, too!" Sally added.  
"yeah, yeah, laugh it up guys," Lightning grumbled, earning a giggle from his sister.  
"then there was that time we went cow tipping…" Mater began.  
"okay! Mater, that's enough!" Lightning cut him off, hoping no one else would tell anymore embarrassing stories about him to Lyra.

As the evening ended, everyone slowly began to head home, wishing Lyra a warm welcome to Radiator Springs. Finally, Lightning, Sally, and Lyra headed back to the apartment as well. It was a little after ten o'clock when they finally made it home that night, and Lyra was visibly tired. Seeing as most of the clothes she had barely fit her, Lightning gave her one of his t-shirts for the night. It was red and had a lightning bolt and the number #95 printed on. Once Lyra was in bed, the two adults got ready for bed themselves.

"Lightning, I'd like to take Lyra out to get some clothes tomorrow afternoon. Think she'd like that?" Sally asked, lying in bed beside her boyfriend.  
"I think she'd love that, Sal." he smiled.  
"plus, it would give us a chance to get to know one another a bit more," she added.  
"I think it's a wonderful idea dear," he replied.

Hours later, Lightning awoke to the sound of screaming coming from Lyra's bedroom. He rushed to the room to find his sister thrashing about on the bed and screaming. After a few moments of attempting to wake her, Lyra finally woke herself. Instinctively, Lightning pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her hair comfortingly.

"shh, it's okay, kiddo. You're safe now; nothing's going to harm you here. I've got you, Lyra." he soothed his sister as she cried.

The young girl was drenched in sweat, and her heart was jumping out of her chest. This was a normal occurrence for Lyra, but never was there someone there to comfort and reassure her afterwards. Once her breathing returned to normal, her brother continued to hold her.

"do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Lyra shook her head in response.  
"do you want to try going back to bed, or would you rather come lay on the couch with me for a bit?" he continued.  
"I want to lay on the couch with you," she replied in a whisper.  
"alright then," he smiled as he led her into the living room.

Lightning decided to put on a movie in hopes of getting her to fall asleep. Lyra decided on 'Beauty and the Beast'. As Lyra got comfortable leaning against Lightning, the eldest McQueen couldn't help but worry for his sister's mental health: how often would she have these nightmares? What were they about? What if he wasn't around to help her next time?

Noticing that his sister was now fast asleep, Lightning calmed down and tried to fall asleep himself. His sister was finally with him and away from their parents, and that's all that matters.


	3. Girl Time

**A Better Life** **Written by: SerenaBlackmore98**

 **A/N: Hey all! I'm back again with a new chapter for you guys. I had a lot of fun writing certain parts of this one, and I hope you guys enjoy it!** **WARNING: This chapter talks about sexual assault/pedophilia/incest. There's no scenes with this behaviour happening, but the characters do discuss it. You have all been warned.**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Girl Time**

Sally found the two McQueens on the couch the following morning; she wasn't sure what had happened last night, but was glad that they had each other to lean on. Tip-toeing quietly through the living room to get to the kitchen, the young woman got breakfast started.

While the two siblings slept, Sally made pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. By the time she had set up the table Lightning and Lyra were up and about.

"morning, sleepy heads." she greeted with a smile.  
"morning, Sal," Lightning yawned.  
"good morning," Lyra squeaked.

Silence fell upon the three as they ate. After a few moments, Sally spoke up.

"so, Lyra, seeing as Lightning's going to be busy tackling the mountain of paperwork he still has left that I told him to get done a week ago, but he didn't, I was thinking maybe we could hang out this afternoon. Maybe go to town and do some shopping and grab lunch?" she suggested.  
"what do you think, kiddo?" Lightning asked, prompting his sister to respond.  
"okay," she smiled.

After breakfast, Lightning left for his racing headquarters, leaving the two girls to get ready for their day. Sally drew Lyra a bath and helped her dry and brush her long red hair. She tied it up in a braid and left the young girl to finish getting ready. Sally put on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with '#95' printed in red lettering. As she tied her hair into a ponytail, Lyra emerged from her bedroom clad in the same clothes she wore the day before that Sally washed.

The drive into the city was extremely quiet; quieter than Sally was accustomed to. Turning on the radio in hopes of filling the air with sound, Sally did a double take at what she heard:

"In other news, NASCAR racer Lightning McQueen was spotted at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with his long-time girlfriend, Sally Carrera, picking up a ten-year-old girl." a male voice on the radio stated.  
"hmm, I wonder who this kid is, Jay?" a female voice asked.  
"the most popular theory is that she's McQueen's daughter," Jay replied.  
"but he nor miss Carrera have commented on these rumors yet, so it's hard to say exactly who this girl is," the woman added.

Before anything else could be said, Sally changed the station. By then, they had arrived at a shopping mall. Entering a clothing store that catered to children, the two girls browsed. Suddenly Lyra looked up to Sally and asked:

"Sally, do you really love Lightning?"

The question made Sally stop dead in her tracks. She hadn't anticipated this question. Turning to face the young girl, she responded.

"what?"  
"my brother; do you really love him?" Lyra asked once more.  
"of course; I love Lightning more than anything." Sally smiled as Lyra hugged her.  
"I'm glad he found you; Lightning deserves to be happy," the child said in a hushed tone.  
"Everyone deserves to be happy, sweetie." She replied comfortingly.

After completing their purchases, the two laddies browsed in a few more shops, then went to get some lunch. By lunch time, the two had seemed to have bonded well. Sally got to know Lyra a lot better, and the child seemed to trust her a lot more.

It was mid-afternoon by the time the two left the city and began the drive home. While in the car, Lyra asked a very serious question:

"Sally, can you keep a secret?"  
"sure, what is it, Lyra?" she asked in reply.  
"It's about my dad…" Lyra began.

By the time Lyra finished explaining what her father had done to her, they were back in Radiator Springs. Sally was horrified by the young girl's story; how could a father do that to his daughter? Lyra explained to the best of her abilities, but still barely understood exactly what her father had done to her. Sally was conflicted; the poor child didn't even understand that her father had sexually abused her, how could she explain this to the ten-year-old?

"Lyra, does Lightning know about this?" Sally asked the child.  
"No, I never told anybody; dad told me not to, or else I'd be locked in my room for a month." She replied.

Later on that evening, Lyra went on to hang out with everyone at Flo's in hopes of hearing more embarrassing stories about her brother. This gave Sally and Lightning a moment to themselves to talk.

"Lightning," Sally began, getting the racer's attention.  
"what's wrong, Sal?" He asked.  
"nothing, what makes you think something's the matter?" She questioned.  
"whenever you actually use my name, it's usually because something's wrong," he explained. Sally sighed.  
"Lyra told me something a little disturbing today, but before I tell you, you need to promise me you won't do anything stupid afterwards."  
"I promise, Sal." The racer assured.  
"Lyra told me that your father was sexually abusing her. The poor kid barely even understood what she was telling me. Lightning, we need to press charges against him for this." Sally exhaled.  
"how long has this been going on?" Lightning asked in a calm voice.  
"since she was seven or so; that's what she told me." She replied.  
"that son of a bitch! How could he do that to her? I knew he was unfit to be a parent, but this is truly disgusting. And my poor excuse of a mother isn't any better; she just let him abuse her like that!" The young man shouted in frustration.  
"I know, Stickers, but you need to remain calm for Lyra's sake." Sally soothed.  
"if it wasn't for my sister needing me, I'd probably be halfway to Florida to kill that bastard right now," Lightning stated blankly.  
"I'll get in contact with the police in Florida first thing in the morning. Hopefully, they'll be able to gather enough evidence to press charges." She informed.  
"I hope so," he mumbled. "come on, let's go see what kind of stories Mater's been telling Lyra," Sally smiled as she headed to the door.  
"I can only imagine what kind of tall tales Mater has come up with," Lightning chuckled, following Sally out the door.

At Flo's, everyone was having a great time, Lyra was finally starting to feel like she belonged somewhere, and the townsfolk were completely welcoming. She also had the chance to meet some of the children in the neighbourhood. She quickly befriended a ten-year-old boy named Luke and a girl named Savannah.

Luke was a hyper-active child; he seemed to be overflowing with energy to spend. His parents had just recently moved to Radiator Springs, looking for a change of pace. The brunette boy's green eyes lit up in excitement when he realized she was Lightning McQueen's baby sister.

"oh my gosh! I totally see the resemblance now that you mention it!" He exclaimed.  
"people always said that I looked a lot like my brother," Lyra mentioned.

Savannah, on the other hand, lived in Radiator Springs her entire life. She was an incredibly artistic girl; she loved to draw. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and her deep brown eyes peered into the soul.

"are you going to be attending Radiator Springs Elementary?" She asked.  
"yeah, I start next week." The younger McQueen sibling replied.  
"it's a great school, Lyra. You're gonna have a blast! Our teacher, Miss Tina is super nice, and really funny!" Luke exclaimed.  
"he's right, Miss Tina is an awesome teacher, Lyra. I know you'll just love her!" Savannah smiled.

The three friends spent the rest of their time together getting to know each other and having fun. Luke's eyes widened in shock when Lyra said she'd never seen her brother race.

"you've never seen any of his races? Really?" "I never had the chance to watch him race; our parents didn't let me watch, and even if he was in the area for one, they wouldn't let us see each other," Lyra explained somewhat vaguely. "your parents are mean!" Luke exclaimed. "Luke! Don't say that!" Savannah scolded. "no, he's right; my parents are horrible." Lyra said blankly. "anyway, when did you get here, Lyra?" Savannah asked in hopes of changing the subject. "yesterday," she replied. "how are you liking the town so far?" Luke asked. "I love it here! Everyone is so nice! I'm really happy to be staying with Lightning and Sally," she smiled.

After a couple hours, everyone began to make their way home for the night. Lightning carried a sleeping Lyra from the car to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.

"I think she had fun tonight," Lightning noted as he sat down on their bed.  
"yeah, it looked like she's made some friends here tonight," Sally smiled in reply.  
"that is a relief," McQueen sighed.

As he laid in bed next to the love of his life, Lightning's thoughts went back to their earlier conversation; why didn't Lyra tell him that was happening? Had he known, he would have driven down there himself and take her away from that place years ago.

' _Well, there's nothing I can do about it now; at least she's here now, and she's finally safe…'_

With a sigh, Lightning fell asleep with only one thought in his mind: _his parents were going to pay for this._

* * *

 **A/N: Well there it is! Finally finished this chapter! Woo! To be honest, I was a little hesitant to publish this one because of the subject matter, but after a friend of mine proof-read it for me, (thanks, Nathan!) I am much more confident about this chapter. As usual, I'm not 100% sure when I'll get the next chapter up and running, but I will do my best to do as soon as I can!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**


	4. First Day

**A Better Life  
Written by: SerenaBlackmore98**

 **A/N: hey guys! I hope you enjoyed chapter 3 of 'A Better Life'! I'm back with chapter 4, and I hope you all like it! I will admit, this chapter does tug at the heartstrings a bit (at least it tugged on mine!) and I'm seriously considering seeking help because this shit is sad and I don't know why I write this kind of stuff…**

 **Anyways, here's chapter 4!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**

 **Chapter 4: First Day**

Every night, Lyra would wake up screaming and drenched in sweat, and every night, Lightning would console her. He hated to see his sister in such pain, and did all within his power to help her. It came to a point where she didn't want to sleep out of fear of having yet another nightmare.

"you're okay, Lyra. You're safe now, I promise I won't let any harm come to you ever again." Lightning soothed, holding his baby sister close as she cried.

It pained him to see the child in such a state. she shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stuff; she was just a kid. The NASCAR racer couldn't help but blame their parents for his sister's current mental state; they're the ones who permanently scarred her like this.

"I don't want to go back to sleep, Lightning; every time I close my eyes, dad…" Lyra started, but choked on her words as she sobbed.  
"shh, it's okay, kiddo. He will not come anywhere near you, even if it's the last thing I do. I will always protect you, baby girl." he soothed.  
"I don't want to go back there…" Lyra cried.  
"and you won't; I won't let them take you, Lyra." Lightning reassured.

As the girl cried, Lightning rocked her in his arms, and tried his best to soothe her. After about twenty minutes or so, Lyra fell asleep in his arms. Looking at the clock, he realized that it was nearly four o'clock in the morning, and that he should probably try to get some rest too.

The following morning, Lyra got ready for her first day of class at Radiator Springs Elementary. She was excited, but nervous to meet her classmates. At least she already made two friends in her class, so she knew she'd have someone to talk to. Lightning drove her to school that morning,

"have a great day, kiddo!" he sent her off.  
"thanks, Lightning! I will!" the girl smiled, stepping out of the car.

As soon as she got out of the car, Luke and Savannah spotted her and greeted her.

"hey Lyra!" Savannah exclaimed.  
"hey guys," she replied.  
"you ready for this?" Luke asked.  
"you know it!" Lyra exclaimed with a laugh.

With that, the three friends went inside. Savannah and Luke helped Lyra navigate through her new surroundings. Their classroom was on the second floor of the school, and they shared the top floor with the 4th and 6th graders. Lyra's desk was luckily between Luka and Savannah, which relieved her a bit; at least she knew who she was sitting with.

"good morning, class! Did you all have a good weekend?" the teacher, Miss Tina greeted her students.  
"Today, we actually have a new student joining us; Lyra McQueen. Welcome to Radiator Springs Elementary, Lyra, how are you liking the town so far?" she asked the red-headed girl with a warm smile.  
"I love it here! Everybody's so nice!" Lyra replied.  
"McQueen…are you related to Lightning McQueen?" a boy in the class named Chase asked.  
"he's my big brother, actually…" Lyra squeaked.  
"whoa, really? That's so cool!" the boy exclaimed.

The morning went on without a hitch. After recess, Miss Tina gave the class a writing assignment; they needed to write a paper about their personal heroes and why they're their hero.

Miss Tina said they had until lunch to work on it, and that they would share their works afterwards.

"who are you writing about, Lyra?" Savannah asked.  
"I think it's obvious, Savannah; she's going to write about her brother!" Luke replied.  
"…maybe…" Lyra grinned slyly.

After lunch, Miss Tina urged her students to share what they wrote. After a few students read theirs, she scanned through the class to see who hasn't shared their work yet.

"alright, who's next? What about you, Lyra?" the teacher suggested.  
"o-okay," she squeaked, making her way to the front of the class.

" _You may think it's a little cliché, but my hero is my brother; Lightning McQueen_." she read off her page.

" _Just about everybody knows him, but not in the way I do. My brother was 15-years-old when I was born. He left home to pursue his racing career when I was 3-years old; my earliest memory of him is of the night he left. I remember him hugging me, and telling me that he loved me very much. I haven't seen him in 7 years until now, but even after that long, it feels as if we were never apart. While my brother wasn't always physically there for me, he always did his best to make sure I was taken care of. When the kids at school talked about his latest victory, I was always so proud of him for going for his dream, and I wished I could have seen it. My brother takes care of me, and makes sure I have everything I need._

 _To you, he's just a famous racer, but to me he's the best big brother a girl could ask for_." she finished, as her classmates applauded her.

"that was great, Lyra. Thank-you for sharing such a personal story with us," the teacher thanked.

At the end of the day, Lightning went to pick up Lyra from school. He spotted her exiting the school with her friends. The young man was glad to see his sister adjusting well and making friends in their little town; it made him smile.

"hey kiddo! How was your first day?" he asked as she approached him, her friends in tow.  
"it was great! I had a lot of fun!" she exclaimed.  
"I'm glad to hear it, baby girl. You ready to head home?" he asked as she nodded in reply.

Saying goodbye to her friends, Lyra got into her brother's red corvette and they headed back to their apartment. At home, Sally was sitting at the table with her computer; she was searching through various Florida laws. So far, she hadn't found much they could use to their advantage, but she wasn't going to give up.

Hearing the door open, Sally looked up from her laptop to see the McQueen siblings.

"hey, you two!" she greeted with a smile.  
"hey, Sally, how's the search going?" Lightning asked in reply.  
"haven't found much yet, but I'm sure I'll find something!" she exclaimed, determined.

"how was your day, Lyra?" Sally asked, her attention solely on the young girl.  
"it was great! I had so much fun! My teacher, miss Tina is really nice! I even made some new friends today," the child beamed.

Lightning and Sally smiled at Lyra's enthusiasm; they were both relieved she was liking it in town and that she liked her new school. They were glad to see she was adjusting well to Radiator Springs, and the more-so stable home life.

"oh! Stickers, this came in the mail for you," Sally exclaimed, handing him an envelope.

Lightning examined the envelope; it was from Florida. Exhaling sharply, McQueen opened the letter.

"what is it, Stickers?" Sally asked once he finished reading it.

"they decided on a court date; March 3rd." he stated.

"that's only a month or so away, Stickers…" she noted.  
"it's definitely a lot sooner than I expected, but there's not much we can do about that, Sal."  
"I suppose you're right; how are you feeling about all of this?" Sally asked in concern.  
"I just want all of this to be over, so we can try to move on from it." He replied honestly.

That night, once Lyra was in bed, Sally looked at Lightning with concern. While he was putting on a brave front for his sister, Sally could tell when something was bothering him. She understood why he would be anxious and nervous about the trial, and wished there was something she could do to help him. Knowing that there wasn't much she could do about this right now, Sally snuggled herself up to her boyfriend, resting her head on his chest.

 **A/N: There you have it guys! I wasn't really sure how to wrap up this chapter, so I hope this is satisfactory. I will say that I am actually pretty excited to start Chapter 5 (a lot of drama and chaos so to speak), so hopefully I will have this up and going soon! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; I had a lot of fun writing it!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**


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